Australian rhyming slang

Rhyming slang is a creative way to play with language. It’s basically two or more words, the last of which rhymes with the word it’s replacing. For example, mud pies = eyes.

The origins of Australian rhyming slang is unclear. While some believe it came over with the original convicts from England, others point to its appearance at the turn of the century.

Either way, it was almost always used by men because the slang would have been considered very vulgar. Because this is a family-friendly site visited by children from all over the world, we’ve decided only to include words we believe are appropriate.

The following are examples of Aussie rhyming slang. Rhyming slang is always changing because it’s so easy to add new rhymes especially within a close group of people. So don’t expect your average Aussie to know all of these. We certainly didn’t.